But brands that remain static are at risk of becoming irrelevant or stagnated. And that’s when bad things can happen:

Corporate and brand strategies become misaligned.

The organization loses its sense of purpose.

Employees disengage.

Culture wanes.

Innovation stalls.

The customer value proposition weakens.

Customers lose interest.

Losing relevance rarely happens via a “lightning bolt” moment. It’s more like slow death by a thousand paper cuts. In business, as in nature, stagnation breeds decay. Standing still is not an option.

When do you evaluate your brand strategy?

1. When it’s clear

When your business is approaching a moment of Big Change, there will be brand implications. Instances include the following:

Merger or acquisition

Entering a new market

When a new or aggressive competitor enters your market

Launching a new innovation or product

New leadership or outside investors, or both

Those situations are typically accompanied by a shift in the vision or direction of the company, with tangible impacts on business strategy. Therefore, it’s optimal for the brand and business strategy to be developed simultaneously to ensure they are aligned.

2. When it’s not so clear

Sometimes, it is much harder to realize “it’s time.”

Like the proverbial frog in the pot who doesn’t notice the water is getting hotter and hotter—and then it dies—a period of time may pass until someone “wakes up” one day to find…

Customer needs have changed.

Macro forces and trends have shaped the landscape.

A product portfolio has become so large or complex, or both, that it is not only hard to sell but also hard to buy.

Your brand has been neglected, or at least not actively managed.

Your business strategies are shifting.

You value proposition and messaging have become “me-too.”

3. You’re a victim of your own success

When a company is experiencing high growth, often everyone is so enthusiastically busy trying to stay ahead of the demands of today that they don’t take the time to look at tomorrow’s longer road.

Evaluate early and often

A proactive approach will increase the likelihood that you’ll be able to develop a strong and intentional strategy. On the flip side, delaying can force you into a reactive, time-boxed situation, which will compromise your strategy because…

You don’t have enough time to properly assess your current brand strategy and evaluate how it will serve the anticipated new conditions and environment it must perform within.

Your ability to conduct the proper research to gather the necessary information and insights for evaluation is limited.

Your ability to explore multiple options and adequate time to evaluate/assess them is limited.

Inevitably, in reactive situations, the delayed start means a delayed “time to impact” with the new brand direction.

For example, evaluating the brand strategy of two companies as part of due diligence in a potential merger affords far more strategic options and minimizes the typical scramble and “hurry up to fix it” problems post-merger.

In business, and especially in B2B, the distinction between brand and business is synonymous in the minds of employees and customers. The B2B buyers of today demand transparency; they also demand to know the character and values of the company behind the product.

In general, the earlier you evaluate, the more time you have to optimally develop and implement your strategy. To anticipate and stay ahead of the dynamic environments in which they operate, B2B leaders should frequently and proactively evaluate their brand strategy in tandem with their business strategy.

Aligning both strategies will ensure that the brand remains relevant as well as maximize the performance and value of the business.